'And at this moment a peculiar, inconceivable, but wonderful thing happened. Suddenly - I assure you, completely unexpected and unwished for - I felt precisely that Someone stood beside me, Someone who radiated comfort and strength. And I heard, but without sound...as clearly and distinctly as if someone had literally spoken to me: "Do not despair, you are not alone, I am alive."'Curious as to what they might discover, two theologians advertised in a national Swedish newspaper for people to write in with their personal experiences of meeting Christ spiritually. They received more than one hundred rich and varied responses, even from some people who described themselves as non-religious. The reports described extraordinary, surprising and usually unrequested experiences. Most of the correspondents had not previously spoken of what had happened to them, often out of fear for what others might think.These precious and valuable experiences are gathered together here and complemented with wise and insightful commentary by the authors, Professor Berndt Gustafsson and Dr Gunnar Hillerdal, both serious academics. The accounts they present form an extraordinary testimony, which will be of interest to any open-minded person seeking truth and meaning in life.'It is about a number of individuals, independent of each other and not influenced by anyone or anything, who have appeared as spontaneous witnesses. One cannot bypass such a thing, regardless of any explanations and intellectual judgements. It is simply about facts.' - Professor Boris Tullander, Ph.D., from the Foreword

Over the past decade gender studies have set an entirely new agenda for religious studies, and work in this area has expanded rapidly. In this book, an international group of women scholars from Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia provides an overview of these new theoretical and critical perspectives with special attention to new developments.

A substantial introduction provides a systematic overview of the key issues and developments in the field. In the first part epistemological and hermeneutical discussions are brought together with reflections on the Sacred, God and Gender and the new Goddess Spirituality. The second part considers important methodological and empirical issues raised by gender studies in religion. It includes new historical material on women scholars in the study of religion and new contemporary data on women in African and Japanese religions. Also considered are the contributions of women's studies to a new understanding of the Christian tradition and wider questions raised by gender for academic teaching and research on religion. The volume also includes an up-to-date bibliography of the most significant publications in the field.

"Religion and Gender" will be of interest to a broad range of readers in both religious studies and gender studies. It will provide an ideal introduction to debates in the field for students and researchers concerned with the impact of women's studies and wider gender issues on religion around the world.

There is a famous Zen story about a disciple, Riko, who once asked his master Nansen to explain to him the old Zen koan of the goose in the bottle. Namely, if a man puts a gosling into a bottle, and feeds the gosling through the bottle's neck until it grows and becomes a goose -- and then there is simply no more room inside the bottle -- how can the man get it out without killing the goose or breaking the bottle? In response, Nansen shouts "RIKO!" and gives a great clap with his hands. Startled, Riko replies, "Yes master!" And Nansen says, "See! The goose is out!" In this Zen-flavored series of responses to questions, the contemporary mystic Osho cuts through the mad complexity of the contemporary human mind and its self-created "problems" with humor, compassion, and even an occasional shout and clap of his hands. The goose in the questioner's bottle may be a philosophical problem or an existential dilemma, a relationship drama or an emotional crisis -- in each case, Osho's unique and transformational response sets the goose free, allowing us to rediscover the simple and innocent clarity each of us brings with us when we

American spirituality - meaning astrology, yoga, and the huge number of other alternative strains of religion pursued by individuals outside of traditional organizations - is usually thought to be a product of the postmodern era. Aromatherapy, crystals, and an interest in one's aura are supposedly relics of the narcissism and iconoclasm of the 1960s. But, as "The New Metaphysicals" reveals, contemporary American spirituality has deep historic roots in the nineteenth century and a great deal in common with traditional religious movements: it turns out the New Age is getting on in years. To explore the world of contemporary spiritual practitioners, Courtney Bender combines research into the history of the movement with fieldwork in Cambridge, Massachusetts - a key site of alternative religious inquiry from Ralph Waldo Emerson and William James to today. Through her ethnographic analysis, Bender discovers that a focus on the new, on progress, and on the way spiritualist beliefs intersect with science obscures the historical roots of spirituality from its practitioners as well as from the many scholars who have studied it. Perceptive, persuasive, and at times gently humorous, "The New Metaphysicals" will greatly broaden our understanding of religion in America.

This multidisciplinary collection probes ways in which emerging and established scholars perceive and theorize decolonization and resistance in their own fields of work, from education to political and social studies, to psychology, medicine, and beyond. In this time of renewed global spiritual awakening, indigenous communities are revisiting ways of knowing and evoking theories of resistance informed by communal theories of solidarity. Using an intersectional lens, chapter authors present or imagine modes of solidarity, resistance, and political action that subvert colonial and neocolonial formations. Placing emphasis on the importance of theorizing the spirit, a discourse that is deeply embedded in our unique cultures and ancestries, this book is able to capture and better understand these moments and processes of spiritual emergence/re-emergence.

Religion, Secularism, and the Spiritual Paths of Virginia Woolf offers an expansive interdisciplinary study of spirituality in Virginia Woolf's writing, drawing on theology, psychology, geography, history, gender and sexuality studies, and other critical fields. The essays in this collection interrogate conventional approaches to the spiritual, and to Woolf's work, while contributing to a larger critical reappraisal of modernism, religion, and secularism. While Woolf's atheism and her sharp criticism of religion have become critical commonplaces, her sometimes withering critique of religion conflicts with what might well be called a religious sensibility in her work. The essays collected here take up a challenge posed by Woolf herself: how to understand her persistent use of religious language, her representation of deeply mysterious human experiences, and her recurrent questions about life's meaning in light of her disparaging attitude toward religion. These essays argue that Woolf's writing reframes and reclaims the spiritual in alternate forms; she strives to find new language for those numinous experiences that remain after the death of God has been pronounced.

2019 IVP Readers' Choice Award Where can I turn to see God? How can I more clearly recognize God's nearness and initiative in my life? These are vital questions if you desire to know and experience the living God. As spiritual directors, Beth and David Booram have guided many people into deeper awareness of this living, present God at work within their lives. When Faith Becomes Sight will help you grow in confidence that God is attentive to you and involved in your life as you learn to recognize God in and around you, reflect on your experience, and respond faithfully to God's presence and action in your life. Along the way you may venture across new streets and encounter unfamiliar terrain as you notice how God is speaking and what God is doing. In those silent, shimmering moments, you will be invited to greet the One who has been seeking you your entire life-the Divine Presence who is all around you.

This book explores the contemporary practice of Neo-shamanism and its relationship to mental health. Chapters cover the practice of Neo-shamanism, how it differs from traditional shamanism, the technology of the shamanic journey, the lifeworlds of some of its practitioners, as well as its benefits and pitfalls. The author's analysis draws on an in-depth study of existing literature, original qualitative-phenomenological research into the lifeworlds of practitioners, and nearly three decades of observation and experience as a student, teacher and practitioner of Neo-shamanism. She discusses the potential role of Neo-shamanic journey technology as an approach for psychology-based studies of consciousness and anomalous phenomena; its value as a tool for self-exploration as part of a supervised curriculum; as well as the possible therapeutic applications of the journey and shamanic healing protocols for use by mental health professionals. This book is a rich and timely resource for students and teachers of psychology, anthropology and sociology, psychotherapists, and anyone who is interested in consciousness and parapsychology.

This volume is an encyclopedic introduction to movements of religious reaction in the twentieth century. The fourteen chapters are thematically linked by a common set of concerns: the social, political, cultural, and religious contexts in which these movements were born; the particular world-views, systems of thought, and beliefs that govern each movement; the ways in which leaders and group members make sense of and respond to the challenges of the modern, postcolonial era in world history. The contributors include sociologists, cultural anthropologists, and historians, some of whom have been participant-observers in the groups under consideration. As an analysis of the global resurgence of religion, Fundamentalisms Observed sheds new light on current religious movements and cultures from North America to the Far East.

Peter Deunov (Beinsa Dounov), who lived in Bulgaria from 1864 to 1944, was a great and inspired teacher of the Perennial Wisdom - the essential thread of truth running through all the major world religions. He was an extraordinary man who at once embodied great simplicity and tremendous profundity. All those who knew him testified to the fact that he inspired inner excellence in very ordinary people. His teachings are both direct and clear, and will speak to everybody whatever their creed. Essentially they give a prescription for living in harmony with others, with the Earth and with the Divine.Prophet for Our Times is being brought back into print following Dr. Wayne D. Dyer's desire to share the work of the philosopher who greatly influenced him. This selection of teachings makes ideal reading for anyone on the spiritual path. It explains simply and directly how to find love, wisdom, truth, justice, harmony, and balance in life. It also gives advice on techniques of prayer, meditation, and visualization, and valuable information on right diet and exercise to assist inner focus and clarity. Peter Deunov's wise words will speak to everyone, and will have special appeal to those searching for an authentic spiritual tradition of Western origin.

In this beautiful book, painter and sculptor Alice and Richard Matzkin explore the experience of ageing through their art, finding inspiration rather than despair. Both in their sixties, they use their paintings and sculptures and personal narrative to examine aspects of growing older -- the progression of physical changes, sensuality and relationships, ageing parents, spirituality, and death. They feature well-known people such as feminist Betty Friedan and potter Beatrice Wood, as well as friends, neighbours, relatives, and themselves. They both explore the older nude body in some of their work. Drawing on their own experiences and the wisdom of older mentors, they demonstrate that the elder years can be a time of growth and wisdom rather than stagnation and loss. This wonderfully illustrated book is a feast for the eyes as well as nurturing to the spirit, and is a useful aide to learning the art of ageing. It leads the reader to a greater appreciation of the miracle and blessing of life.

This book addresses the issue of de-spiritualization in education through an interdisciplinary lens. It draws on curriculum scholarship of Dwayne Huebner, Martin Heidegger's interpretation of Plato's allegory of the cave, Buddhism, theories and philosophies of quantum physics, and philosophical hermeneutics, among others. In doing so, the author identifies the relationship between spiritual truth and education and probes the nature of consciousness, self, and reality. On this basis, she works to explore curriculum as an experience of consciousness transformation vital to the essence and purpose of education and argues for reason with faith and faith with reason as well as the imperative of curriculum imbued with spiritual wisdom and lived experiences.

Following on from the hugely popular 'Angel Saved My Life' series comes a moving new collection of real-life stories from the Afterlife. Following the bestsellers An Angel by My Side and An Angel Held My Hand comes a brand new collection of heartwarming and inspiring real-life dramas about people who have had 'a little help' from the other side when they most needed it. Stories include: The shouting angel whose playful antics saved a young girl from falling down the stairs. The angel who prevented a woman's bad judgement becoming a tragedy. The whispering angel who helped a serial dieter lose weight for good. The angel voice that quietly guided a woman to her soul mate. The group of friends whose guardian angels revealed their purpose in life. The laughing angel who helped a lost boy find his way home. These are just some of the miraculous accounts in this inspiring new collection of true stories.